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In the two weeks — turned five years — stuck on twenty-first century Earth with Sel, Javic finds out about the queer community within three days.
He wakes up in the early afternoon after two sleepless and long days of intel gathering to loud music, people cheering, and a pounding headache. He's ready to kill someone, but that's Sel's job so he just counts to ten and takes deep breaths. It takes him ten minutes to force himself out of bed ignoring his partner's weak protests. Ey always complains. He leans out of the window and is almost immediately flooded by the bright colors and loud noises. This wakes him up completely.
In the sandy Boeshane Peninsula where all was in sepia colors for most of the two hundred and eighty-seven days of the year, there was one special day he loved more than most. The end of year festival was always followed by an explosion of tastes and music and colors, and as a child, he always loved to run around in his bright blue, violet, and green ceremonial clothes. He's lost his home long ago, but the cheering and the laughing coming down from the ground floor bring him right back there. He sprints from the room, makes himself presentable, and runs down into the street. A few steps from the door stands a gorgeous human in a bright pink skirt, a mesh shirt and high heels, and they're unlike any person Javic has seen in this time period on Earth. He puts on his best smile and approaches them quickly.
"Excuse me, can I ask what's going on here?" The person turns to him with a suspicious glance, and Javic, seeing them inch away from him, widens his grin more. "It's just— I'm not from around here— is this some kind of local festival? I love those!"
The person gives him a through once over and their features soften slightly when they look carefully at his open and honest face. "It's Pride..." they reply with a low-pitched voice, and the question is clear in their voice.
"Mal. And you?" Javic makes up the name on the spot.
"Rebecca. Well, Mal—" this time, Rebecca smiles widely "—it's Pride, enjoy yourself." Then, they walk on, following the crowd.
Javic goes back in and, after checking in on Sel, goes to sit before the ancient computer. He looks up "Pride" and is surprised by the barrage of color that floods the screen. He spends the day researching the LGBTQ+ community, surprised that in this time and in this place there's a need for such labels. But the more he looks into it, the more he understands, and he regrets that he probably won't have the time or chance to come back to this celebration. Still his and Sel's mission is more important, and he completely forgets about this pride parade. They go to sleep the day they've competed the mission, ready to depart the day after, and wake up to two weeks ago. They shrug it off like a minor time anomaly and use the chance to get drunk and have fun. Javic remembers the festival the day before it happens again and goes to buy the brightest, most glittering, and most impressing make up and clothes and drags Sel along. He recognizes Rebecca from last time and waves at them happily from across the street and gets a confused smile back. He goes to that same Pride all one hundred and thirty-five times that he lives through the two weeks again, even when the time loop starts wearing him down. It's always a spot of joy and color in the monotony of repetition.